Sex on Summer Sabbatical by Stacey Lynn Rhodes

year-round owners and short-term tourists, and it was very low-key and nice…
    What on earth was she thinking? Once she went back to work, she would have as little time as ever, and popping over to Hawaii just wasn’t feasible or realistic. She might be older, but she wasn’t retired yet.
    She laughed out loud, thinking that she probably wasn’t the first visitor to have fallen under the spell of the islands.
    “Share?” Adam asked, rubbing her hand with his thumb.
    Tori leaned against his upper arm. “I was just thinking about buying a condo here.” Adam started laughing too. “Yes, I know. I was telling myself that it was a bit premature to think about retiring to Hawaii, even for someone my age.”
    “Stop it. You’re not that old.”
    “Older than you.”
    Adam stopped walking and pulled her to a halt. “Is that a problem as you see it?”
    “No. No, it’s not,” she reassured him as she tugged him into motion again. “Really,” she added when he looked at her a bit incredulously.
    “Okay, that’s good, because it’s not an issue for me. At all.” He ran his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to his side. She snuggled in for warmth. It wasn’t chilly, per se, but without the sun the breeze was cool.
    They walked for a while longer then turned back to return to the complex. After taking turns rinsing off the sand at the rinse station by the short steps up from the beach, they slipped their flip-flops on and returned to their lanai.
    “Do you want to have some coffee or another drink and sit outside for a while?” Adam asked.
    “Coffee sounds nice. I can’t get over how gorgeous it is. I’d hate to miss a moment by going to bed earlier than we have to.”
    “Oh, I don’t know… I’m kind of looking forward to bedtime myself.”
    Tori’s jaw dropped at his low, suggestive tone. And with that, Adam chuckled and went inside to make their coffee.
    Come to think of it, I’m looking forward to it, too , she thought with a smile.

Chapter Ten

    To simplify things and make the most of their space, Adam had volunteered to use the kids’ bathroom, so he’d headed in with his stuff to get ready for bed while Tori was in the master bath. He wondered as he brushed his teeth when was the last time he’d been a bit nervous about sleeping with a woman…and by that he meant actually sleeping. To be honest, he hadn’t ever really given it much thought before.
    He’d tossed off that flirtatious remark earlier, but had immediately given himself a mental head-smack. Why had he even gone there when he was trying not to become more intimate?
    Because he really, really wanted to. That was why.
    He set his toothbrush aside and splashed some water on his face. If he didn’t pull himself together and start being consistent, he was going to look like a complete idiot, or at the very least indecisive.
    And speaking of indecisive—sleep pants or boxer briefs? He usually slept in the buff but…
    Oh hell, might as well wear both. Probably be good as a reminder for his control.
    He slipped on the items then walked back through to the living area. The door to the master was wide open.
    “Tori?”
    “Come on in.” She padded barefoot out of the bathroom in a faded blue Cal Bears T-shirt that hung almost to her knees. It had the look of something that she wore a lot…and by its size and how boxy it was, it was obviously a man’s shirt. After an initial smile at him, she was no longer looking at him, busy sorting through some clothes she’d unpacked into the dresser.
    A twinge hit him in the gut. Whose shirt had she kept? It took him a moment to realise that he was jealous of some mystery man from her past. It was a pretty alien feeling and didn’t sit well with him at all.
    Turning away, he went to the window to look out on the subtly lit pool area and beyond to the palm trees silhouetted against the ocean. It was mostly quiet and the sound of the waves was soothing. “Is it okay with you if we